The redesigned laptops introduce tandem OLED technology, Dynamic Island and new ways to interact with creative software, while retaining the MacBook’s traditional keyboard and trackpad.
For years, Apple has kept touchscreen functionality largely within its iPhone and iPad product lines. That distinction has now changed. On October 28, 2026, Apple unveiled a redesigned MacBook Pro featuring touchscreen support for the first time, alongside a tandem OLED display and its M5 Pro and M5 Max processors.
Available in 14-inch and 16-inch models, the new laptops represent a significant change in how users can interact with a Mac. Rather than replacing the keyboard and trackpad, Apple is introducing touch as an additional input method, particularly for professionals working with visual content, complex applications and creative tools.
Touch Comes to the Mac
The touchscreen is one of the biggest changes to the new MacBook Pro. Users can scroll through webpages, zoom into photographs, move presentation elements and interact directly with on-screen content using familiar gestures.
For creative professionals, the possibilities extend further. Designers can draw directly on the display, musicians can interact with software instruments, and developers can test touch-based experiences for their applications.
Apple has integrated the touch sensor into the display panel, aiming to reduce latency and make interactions feel more immediate. The redesigned software experience also adapts interface elements for touch while preserving traditional Mac controls.
The introduction does not turn the MacBook Pro into a detachable tablet. Instead, it adds another way to work within the familiar laptop design.
A New Display Built for Creative Work
The new PROLED XDR display uses tandem OLED technology, which is designed to deliver strong contrast, high brightness and accurate colour reproduction.
Apple lists peak brightness of up to 2,000 nits, a variable refresh rate of up to 120Hz and a contrast ratio of 10,000,000:1. Support for both P3 and Adobe RGB colour spaces also makes the display relevant to photographers, designers and video professionals who need precise colour representation.
OLED technology allows individual pixels to control their own light output, producing deep blacks and detailed contrast. For users working on HDR video, photography or visual effects, these characteristics could make a meaningful difference to the viewing and editing experience.
Dynamic Island and M5 Performance
Apple has also brought Dynamic Island to the Mac, creating an interactive area for features including Spotlight, Live Activities and Siri AI.
Under the hood, the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips power the new models. Configurations support up to 128GB of unified memory and up to 16TB of storage, targeting demanding workloads such as video editing, 3D production and AI-assisted creative work.
Apple also claims battery life of up to 24 hours, alongside a thinner and lighter design. Other features include Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, a 12-megapixel Center Stage camera and an enhanced six-speaker sound system.
What This Means for the MacBook Pro
The touchscreen is the headline change, but the wider update combines display technology, interface design and powerful hardware in a single redesign.
Whether touch becomes an essential part of professional Mac workflows will depend on how developers adapt their applications and whether users find it useful alongside the keyboard and trackpad.
For now, Apple is making a clear statement: the future of the MacBook Pro can include direct interaction with the screen without abandoning the laptop experience that has defined the product for years.
